Curator’s comments

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an ex-slave from New York. After the abolition of slavery in New York in 1826, Truth joined with abolitionist groups who supported women's rights, religious tolerance and pacifism. In 1851 she delivered her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?" at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Sojourner Truth spent the rest of her life advocating for gender and racial equality. She attempted to improve the working conditions for African American Union soldiers during the Civil War and shortly after, she tried to secure federal land grants for former slaves.